miceal383

I have a 93 pickup with a 3VZE that blew a head gasket, shocker. This was about one year ago and since I have been collecting parts. i am using rebuilt heads, and I have those installed along with the intake manifold and all pulleys for the timing belt. I lined all my marks on the cam gears and crank to TDC and lined the marks on the new belt with the cam gears. I dont really have a mark to line up on the crank, so I'm trying to set it on with as little slack on the drivers side and move the teeth as far as I can on the crankshaft towards the passengers side. My problem is every time I get this done, I use my hand to hold the new tensioner pulley tight as I can and a ratchet on the crankshaft to rotate the engine, every time I get back to the original marks the marks on the cam gears are both one tooth left and the crankshaft mark is about one tooth's worth to the right. If I crank the engine around again it will be two marks to the right and the cam gears at TDC there marks two teeth to the left, so I'm sure this would continue but it seems I'm perhaps one tooth off on the crank I think. Any suggestions or help would be appreiated, thanks.

miceal383

Okay I found the mark to line up on the crankshaft gear. So I started there this time. The only problem I see is the mark on the belt and the dot on the gear are both on teeth so I put the belt's mark to the driver's side of the dot as you are looking at it. Then I routed it around counterclockwise, water pump then sprocket lining up the timing marks, under the pulley the lined up marks on the next sprocket and I finally routed it over the tensioner pulley. Now everything seems pretty tight on the drivers side with most slack around the tensioner. I double checked my marks and rotated the engine, once again the marks are left one tooth of the sprocket marks, however this time the crankshaft is at TDC along with the sprockets instead of having moved clockwise one tooth or so. The mark on the bottom of the crankshaft gear is also one tooth left, so turning the engine back to the marks and stopping at TDC it seems the sprockets and crank stayed in line and matched at TDC, and the belt moved completely one tooth counterclockwise. I have read that this is correct so the timing belt doesn't ride the same teeth constantly in case of a burr anywhere, but I've also read the marks should line back up? Seems like it may be ready to install the fan bracket, tensioner and pull the pin? Does anybody know or have any advice here? I am trying to get this top end rebuild done asapso any input would be great.

akwheeler

The reference to your timing marks lining up after rotating the engine refers to the cam and crank pulley timing marks. after installing a belt with marks on it (not all of them have marks) you can forever forget they are even there.

thook

x2 on the belt marks; once you get everything lined up with the rotor at 11 o'clock and it stays that way after a revolution, the marks are a moot point and, ime, never line back up. having said that, the marks are kinda moot to begin with, i think. you can line everything up without need for the marks. and, like akwheeler said, some belts don't even have them. i don't recall my last install having them

anyway...

somewhere around here is some really good discussion with very clear, simple, easy methodology for getting the mechanical timing spot on the first attempt. i'd have to jog my memory or simply find it searching. hmmm...

you can try searching using "tnrabbit" under post username if i haven't posted back first

miceal383

Thanks, I checked with my cousin who s a Toyota fanatic, great mechanic and has done this top end rebuild before and he said the same thing. Those lines are nice to have but just for reference on the initial install, and if you want to tun the engine till they come back around they should all be one tooth off TDC but as long as the crank and sprockets stay in line those marks on the belt are useless after the initial install. It's hard to get him on the phone so I appreciate all the input here. Belt is on, along with all the covers and tensioner so I'm good to go there.